Get out the facepaints and the English flag, St George's Day is just around the corner, on Saturday April 23.
The Patron Saint of England, St George's Day is celebrated annually to recognise Saint George's death in 303 AD; the day is usually celebrated with a feast and fun activities.
And us English are never ones to pass up an opportunity to make an eat some great food, so we've gathered together a few traditional English recipes that you can cook up on St George's Day to celebrate.
Why not pack some of this food and go for a picnic in one of our great parks to appreciate the beauty of England's capital city on the day?
Tesco: Proper Pork Pies (serves eight)
Ingredients
For the hot water pastry
Three tablespoons of milk
40g of lard, diced
40g of butter, diced
340g of plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
Half a teaspoon of salt
For the filling
500g of pork shoulder, cut into small (1cm) cubes or roughly blitzed in a food processor
120g of pork sausage meat (two plump sausages)
180g of smoked bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon
Quarter of a teaspoon of ground mace or nutmeg
Half a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh sage
Half a teaspoon of ground white pepper
One egg, lightly beaten
150ml of chicken stock
Three leaves of gelatine
Method
1) To make the pastry, put 110ml water in a small saucepan, add the milk, diced lard and butter and heat through gently until the fat melts. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil.
2) Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Have a table knife ready and carefully pour in the just-boiled liquid. Immediately stir with the table knife to form a rough dough. Knead lightly until the dough is smooth and silky, being careful not to overwork. Wrap in clingfilm and set aside to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3) Combine the pork shoulder, sausage meat, bacon, mace or nutmeg, sage, white pepper in a mixing bowl with a large pinch of salt, making sure the ingredients are evenly mixed. Take one-third of the dough and wrap it in clingfilm.
4) To make four small pies, have ready 4 x 340g jars (about 8.5cm/3.5in diameter). Wrap the (outside) bases of the jars in clingfilm. Divide the remaining two-thirds of the pastry into four even pieces. Keeping any unused pastry covered with clingfilm or a tea towel to stop it drying out, mould one pastry piece evenly around the base of the jar, bringing it about 8-9cm/3.5in up the sides.
5) Make sure the base isn't too thick and that the pastry is even, without any holes (mould/press these out or patch with a little extra pastry, as necessary). Repeat with the other three jars and turn upside down. Refrigerate for 1 hour, until chilled and hard. Divide the reserved third of pastry into four. Roll each piece out to form a circle, about 8cm/3.5in in diameter, cover with clingfilm and set aside at room temperature while the jars chill.
6) Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan, gas 4.
7) To remove the pastry cases, turn the jars right-side up and carefully pour boiling water from the kettle into the jars themselves. The pastry case can then be gently pulled downwards to remove it from the jar in one piece. Sit the cases on a baking sheet.
8) Divide the pork mixture between the four pie cases, pressing it in firmly with the back of a teaspoon while supporting the sides. Lay the circles on top and pinch the edges together firmly, crimping right the way around between finger and thumb to make a raised crimped crown. Repeat to seal all 4 pies. Brush the tops of the pies with beaten egg and use a small knife or skewer to make a small hole in the top of each.
9) Bake for 50 minutes, until the pastry turns a rich golden brown. Check halfway through and cover the tops loosely with foil if they appear to be over-browning. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
10) While the pies cook, heat the chicken stock in a small pan until almost boiling, then remove from the heat. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, until softened. Squeeze out the excess water and add to the hot stock, stirring to dissolve. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
11) Using a very small funnel or a plain piping nozzle, pour the stock into the hot pies via the central holes, adding it slowly to give it time to soak in and run into the gaps between the meat and the pastry at the sides and on the tops. Leave to cool completely, then chill the pies for at least 4 hours or overnight to set the jelly.
Aldi: Eton Mess
Ingredients
Three eggs (whites only)
150g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
For the topping
600ml thickened cream
One punnet of strawberries (washed, tops removed and quartered)
Two passion fruits
Small bunch of mint
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas mark 1
2) To make the meringue, use an electric hand whisk to whisk the egg whites for a couple of minutes until they form peaks
3) When the meringue has reached this stage, slowly start to add the caster sugar a bit at a time, whisking in between until all the sugar is combined and the meringue is glossy and holds a stiff peak
4) Using a metal spoon, equally divide the mixture into 12 meringue rounds and bake for 2 hours, then leave in the oven (turned off) until cooled completely.
5) When the meringues have cooled, whip the cream until it holds a peak and then crush the meringues and add to the cream
6) To serve, layer the strawberries with the passion fruit pulp and meringue/cream in the jars and top with mint.
Tesco: Classic Bread and Butter Pudding (serves six)
Ingredients
60g of lightly salted butter, softened
10 slices of thinly sliced white bread, preferably a day old (cut the crusts off if you like)
60g of sultanas
Half a lemon, finely grated zest only
350ml of whole milk
For the chocolate layer
100ml of double cream
Three eggs
60g of golden caster sugar
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
Grated fresh nutmeg
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 160°C gas 4. Lightly butter a medium baking dish (approximately 20cm x 25cm) with 10g of the butter. Spread the remaining butter generously over one side of the bread slices. Cut each slice into quarters.
2) Arrange half the bread quarters, buttered sides up, over the base of the buttered dish and scatter with half the sultanas and lemon zest. Repeat to use up all the buttered bread, sultanas and lemon zest.
3) Heat the milk and cream together in a small saucepan until steaming hot. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with 50g of the golden caster sugar, until pale and thick. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture onto the eggs, whisking constantly. Strain through a sieve into a jug, then stir in the vanilla extract.
4) Slowly pour the custard over the bread pudding, being careful to soak all the bread. Scatter the surface with the remaining sugar and grate over a little nutmeg. Bake for 35-40 minutes in the centre of the oven, until golden brown. Let the pudding rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Aldi: Apple and Lemon Bakewell Tart (serves four)
Ingredients
One 375g pack of ready rolled shortcrust pastry
One large cooking apple - about 320g
20ml of lemon juice
25g of unsalted butter
100g of Raspberry jam
65g of ground almonds
65g of self-raising flour
130g of baking spread
125g of caster sugar
Two large eggs
15ml of Amaretto
10g of flaked almonds
Ice cream to serve
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2) Use the pastry to line a 20cm loose base flan tin. Spread the jam over the base of the pastry.
3) Peel and core the apple, chop into small pieces, put into a small saucepan with the lemon juice and butter, and cook on a low heat, until the butter has melted and the apple is slightly cooked - about 3 mins.
4) Put the apple mixture on top of the jam in the pastry case.
5) Then put the flour, eggs, spread, caster sugar, amaretto and ground almonds into a food processor and mix well.
6) Pour this mixture over the apples, sprinkle over the flaked almonds and bake in the oven for 35/40 mins - till golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve warm or cold with ice cream.
Tesco: Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding and Vegetables (serves four)
Ingredients
500g beef roasting joint
25ml of olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the Yorkshire puddings
75g of plain flour
75ml of milk
55ml pf water
30ml of sunflower oil
One egg
For the vegetables
One savoy cabbage, leaves washed and sliced
200g of 'Chantennay' carrots
25g of butter
100ml of red wine
For the gravy
300ml of beef stock
One tablespoon of brown sugar
One tablespoon of cornflour
One tablespoon of water
Method
1) Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees.
2) Rub the topside of the beef with the olive oil and season well all over. Heat roasting tray over a high heat until hot and sear the beef well all over until golden brown. Transfer to the oven and roast for 45-50 minutes for medium-rare. For medium, cook for a further 5-10 minutes.
3) Prepare the Yorkshire pudding batter as the beef is roasting; sift the flour into a bowl with some seasoning and whisk the egg in until incorporated. Whisk in the flour and water until you have a smooth batter. Strain into a jug and set to one side.
4) Blanche the cabbage in boiling salted water for 2 minutes then remove and refresh in iced water. Par-boil the carrots until tender, then drain and refresh as well.
5) Make the gravy by reducing the red wine and sugar in a heavy-based saucepan. Add any juice/drippings from the roast beef and the beef stock and continue to reduce by a third. Whisk together the water and cornflour and whisk it into the gravy to thicken, making sure you bring the gravy back to the boil to do so. Season to taste and set to one side.
6) When the beef is ready, (you can also use a thermometer to check the internal temperature; 58-60 degrees for medium-rare) remove and cover with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes in a warm place.
7) Meanwhile, increase the heat to 230 degrees and divide the sunflower oil evenly in a 4-hole Yorkshire pudding pan. Heat the oil in the oven for 10 minutes until smoking hot then remove and carefully pour the Yorkshire pudding batter into the oil, filling it up to the top of the moulds. Return to the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden, risen and crispy.
8) As they are cooking, reheat the carrots and cabbage in simmering water and reheat the gravy over a medium-low heat.
9) Use a sharp knife to carve the beef into thin slices and arrange on warm serving plates.
10) Remove the Yorkshire puddings when ready and immediately transfer to the plates. Serve the cabbage and carrots on the side and pour the gravy over.
GETWESTLONDON RECIPE ROUND-UPS
Fancy celebrating the day at a fun event? The Rotary Club of Pinner are holding a special party this year.
